Fire-escape



(No Model.)

' FIRE ESCAPE. No. 492,955, Patented Mar. 7, 1893.

UNiTnn STATES PATENT Ornrcn.

JOHN W. L. BROWN, OF MARIETTA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANK S. ROAOH, OF ATHENS, OHIO.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 492,955, dated March '7, 1893.

Application filed November 16, 1892. Serial No. 452,184. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN W. L. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marietta, in the county of Washington, State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Fire- Escape, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fire escapes of a portable nature, which may be carried like an ordinary umbrella, and may be adapted for use almost instantly in escaping from a burning building.

The object of the invention is to provide a device that will be light and durable, one that is always ready for use and which can not be turned inside out. I attain this object by the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my device, open as in use. Figs. 2 and 3 are enlarged details.

Similarletters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings A is the staff of the fire escape, provided at its lower end with the cross bar or handle a, upon which the hands or feet of the person using the fire escape may be placed, as desired; the staff A has at its outer end an ordinary ferrule a.

B B, are ribs which are attached to the staff A in the usual manner at their inner ends to the ferrule 17.

O O are braces secured at their outer ends to the ribs B B, at c in the usual manner and at their inner ends to the runner D,the upper end of said runner D being provided with a burr d for that purpose. The lower end of said runner is also provided with a boss d for a purpose which will be presently described.

Eis a ferrule or washer securely fastened to the staff A, at a point where the outermost part of the runner D would be when the fire escape is ready for use. Said ferrule E is adapted to prevent the runner going farther toward the outer end of the staff and to prevent the de-' vice turning inside out. In practice I make the runner D about thelength of the ordinary umbrella runner.

F is a runner placed on the staff A between the runner D and the lower end of said staff to which runner are attached the supplemental bracesf near its lower endf'. Said supplemental braces are also secured to the outer ends of the ribs B in the usual manner.

The runner F is provided with the flangef to which are attached the braces f which flange I place near the lower end of said runner.

I make the runner F long enough so that the outer end, which is provided with the boss G shall, when the fire escape is expanded ready for use, come in contact with the lower end of the runner D, in this way preventing the lower part of the device from turning inside out. The boss G on the lower runnerF and the boss d on the runner D are to prevent either runner telescoping the other.

H is a spring in the staff Awhich will keep the fire escape raisedwhen ready for use, and which is the ordinary umbrella spring.

I is the cover which may be of any strong, close woven material adapted for that purpose.

. Having thus described my invention, what I claim to be new is- 1. The combination with the staff, the ribs attached thereto, braces secured at their outer ends to said ribs and at their inner ends to a runner sleeved upon said staff, the supplemental braces secured to the same set of ribs near the outer ends of said ribs and pivoted to an independent runner also sleeved upon said staff, both runners being adapted to move in the same direction and the spring I-I. abutting against the lower end of the last named runner to hold said runners in place when in use, substantially as described. 1

2. The combination with the staff, the ribs attached thereto, braces secured at their outer ends to said ribs and at their inner ends to a runner sleeved upon said staff, the supplemental braces secured to the same set of ribs near the outer ends of said ribs and pivoted to an independent runner also sleeved upon said staff, the spring H, to hold said runners in place when in use, and the ferrule E, securely fastened to said stafi, substantially as described.

3. The combination with-the staff, ribs attached thereto, braces secured to said ribs, and to a runner sleeved on said staff, the supplemental braces secured to said ribs and to said ribs and to an independent runner also sleeved upon said staff of sufficient length to contact With the runner D when in use, the spring H, the ferrule E, both runners being adapted to move in the same direction and having their contiguous ends bossed, substantially as described.

5. The combination with the ordinary umbrella staff and frame, of the ferrule against which the top of the runner of the open umbrella abuts, the supplemental brace, and a long supplemental runner, the T hand cross bar and the spring, said braces attached at the outer ends of said ribs and the lower end of said supplemental runners, whereby the tendency when in use of the cover to reverse itself and of the main ribs to buckle is reduced to a minimum, substantially as described. i JOHN WV. L. BROWN. Witnesses:

PHOEBE S. BROWN, LOVINA (3. SHAW. 

